Saving Valentine's
by Hanako A
Summary: When a boycott is launched at Hogwarts targeting Valentine’s Day, it is up to the Head Boy and Head Girl to derail it. Unfortunately, given how well Draco and Hermione work together, they might wind up being its unwitting ally.
1. Prologue

**Saving Valentine's: Prologue**

**Disclaimer:** None of these characters are mine as they all belong to JKR. Also this story is AU for HBP and DH.

* * *

Hermione Granger loved Valentine's Day.

She adored every part of it. She enjoyed how everything and everyone was decked out in all shades of pink. It gave her the perfect excuse to wear the color, and she thought she looked quite fetching in pastel pink. She loved all the decorations that floated around. It was true that the heart garlands that adorned the halls of Hogwarts didn't look the slightest like actual hearts, but that wasn't the point. All the decorations made everything seem softer and fuzzier and a bit warmer. Hermione didn't even mind too much how the week before the holiday, most of her classmates worked themselves into a furor either over what they would be doing with their boyfriends or what they would say to land the boy they liked. She thought it was nice to have a day set aside for couples to work on their relationships. And Hermione liked best of all the idea of having one day a year where you were encouraged to gather your courage to confess to the boy you fancied. It was a risk, of course, but at least if the boy didn't like you back, you would have plenty of company. The way Hermione looked at it, Valentine's was perfect for bringing people together even for those who despised the holiday. Valentine's Day haters always seemed to congregate together on the day and share their misery. Perhaps it was a twisted way to look at it, but Hermione imagined that it had to be comforting to know that you weren't alone.

However those closest to Hermione did not share her love of the holiday. Certainly she had been raised to disdain it by her parents. Her father would tell her that it made his teeth ache just thinking about how many chocolates and sweets were sent around the world on that day. Her mum would tell her that there was nothing good about being with a man who would only make an effort to romance you one day in the entire year. In a way, her love of the holiday was a sort of rebellion against her parents' practical ways. Nothing they said could make her think badly of Valentine's Day.

Her best friends were more ambivalent towards the day. Neither of them was truly fond of it. Harry always woke up on Valentine's Day with a feeling of dread in his stomach. Some of the cards and presents he had received on the day in years past were truly embarrassing. Furthermore, if he were to be honest, ever since meeting Umbridge he had an aversion to the color pink. Seeing it virtually engulfing Hogwarts literally made him nauseous. As for Ron Weasley, he had always been slightly suspicious of the holiday. He thought it was some sort of grand scheme by all the women in the world to keep their men in line. He also could never figure out just what to give to the girl he fancied on the day. It wouldn't have made Ron sad if the holiday permanently disappeared from the calendar.

No, if one wanted to find someone who loved Valentine's Day as much as Hermione did, one would have to look farther afield. In fact, you would have to look at her rivals because the only person at Hogwarts who adored the day as much as she did was Draco Malfoy.

That was right. Draco Malfoy absolutely _loved _Valentine's Day. He loved the fact that it was the one day of the year that it was all right for anyone to wear pink. He rarely had an excuse to do so, and he was certain that he looked very handsome and suave in the color. He enjoyed how the holiday drove everyone to distraction the week before it occurred. That always made for the most entertaining accidents in Potions class, and every year Slytherin House made its greatest advances against the other Houses in terms of House point totals. The thing Draco loved the most about the day, however, were the presents. The amount of presents he received from his various admirers almost rivaled Christmas for him. Of course Potter's pile was always larger but the fact that Potter was too much of a Gryffindor to use Weasley as a guinea pig for questionable presents the way Draco used Crabbe and Goyle more than made up for the fact. Every single year at least one of Draco's gag gifts wound up being opened by the other wizard, and Potter would be left looking like a fool.

Hence both Hermione and Draco were taken by surprise during the first prefect meeting they chaired in the month of February when Pansy Parkinson suggested doing away with Valentine's.

"Excuse me? Could you repeat that again?" Hermione asked. She looked suspiciously at her co-head and wondered if Malfoy had set her up. When she had opened up the floor to the prefects so they could suggest activities for the current term, she hadn't thought that anyone would mention outlawing Valentine's Day. It smelled like a rat though, and it was probably planted by the bastard currently sitting beside her.

"Ever consider getting a trim for that bird's nest you wear about your head?" the other witch said, openly scoffing at her.

"Five points from Slytherin for talking back to the Head Girl," Hermione said. She was used to having to do that by now. At least once during each prefect meeting, a Slytherin would insult her and she would be forced to take points for them. They were lucky that she didn't share their Head of House's temperament, otherwise their house point total would be negative. "Now seeing how you weren't serious about that, are there any—"

"But I was serious! I do think that it would be a grand idea if we banned the celebration of Valentine's Day!" Pansy interrupted her.

Hermione sighed and then glanced over at Malfoy. Clearly he had put Parkinson up to it. Leave it to Malfoy to do his best to destroy one of the most enjoyable holidays of the year. She glared at him, silently promising all sorts of dire consequences if he didn't stop this nonsense now.

"Ha, ha, very funny, Pansy," said Malfoy as he lounged back in his seat. Hermione relaxed slightly as evidently her unspoken threats had worked their magic once again.

"I'm not joking, Draco," Pansy insisted. "I think that for once it would be nice to get through the month of February without having to worry about tripping over those damned garlands in the corridors."

Hermione blinked as the other witch continued on with her rant against Valentine's Day. She had thought that the Slytherin witch would have dropped the subject once Malfoy vetoed her, but now Hermione wondered whether or not Malfoy was the source of the idea.

"That's all very nice, but I personally think it would be cruel if we were to cancel it. Think of how disappointed all the younger students would be," said Malfoy as Pansy's rant came to an end.

"I think it's a brilliant idea myself." To Hermione's horror, those words had come from none other than Ginny Weasley. "It's a waste of time and resources. Think about all the work the House Elves have to do in decorating Hogwarts for this one day, only to have to clean it up the day after," added Ginny in a blatant appeal to the Head Girl.

Hermione twitched her nose as she realized she was backed into a corner. She personally adored the holiday, but she didn't like the idea of making the House Elves do so much work. "Well maybe we all can take care of the decorating ourselves," she suggested.

"Well I think that you're all barking," said Malfoy sharply. He stood up abruptly. "This is how it's going to be. No, we are not canceling Valentine's, and there is nothing you can say to convince me otherwise. I, for one, am not going to waste any of my time decorating Hogwarts, not when there are House Elves capable of doing an adequate job. That is final." With that, he strode out of the room in a huff.

Hermione sighed once more and rubbed her temples. It seemed that half of their meetings ended with Malfoy walking out like the drama queen he was. She swore to herself that once she was finished with Hogwarts and could no longer be expelled, she would come up with the perfect hex to cast upon Dumbledore, Snape, and anyone else who had a hand in picking that intolerable git to be Head Boy. Malfoy was good for looking pretty and that was about it.

But at the moment, she had other things to attend to, such as making sure that her authority wasn't eroded by the way Malfoy chose to make his exit. "I agree with Malfoy," she said. "We are not going to unilaterally cancel a holiday that so many students are looking forward to. As to your suggestion about the decorations, Ginny, I will speak with Professor Dumbledore to ensure that no House Elves are forced to decorate. I am certain I can find volunteers who are willing to take on that task" Hermione nodded her head, thinking that she could count on her dorm mates to help her out. Satisfied with the solution she had reached, she rose to her feet. "I guess this meeting is adjourned then. Do continue to think about what activities we might plan for this term. We'll bring up that topic again in our meeting next month."

With those words, Hermione began packing up her things to go to the library to study. All around her the rest of the prefects were doing the same, chatting amongst themselves. The room was still half full when Hermione left, and she didn't spare another thought for the ludicrous suggestion Pansy had made.

Pansy fumed as she gathered her belongings. She had hoped that Granger would see things her way and overrule Draco once he had left the room. While Pansy knew there was no way Draco would agree to her request, given how much in love that boy was with receiving presents, she had assumed that Granger wasn't the type who believed in the nonsense that was Valentine's day. Unfortunately it looked like she was wrong. _I should have known that things would not go my way_, she thought to herself. _They never did, especially when it came to Valentine's Day. I hate that damn day!_

"For the record, I thought it was a stunning idea." Startled, Pansy looked up to see Ginny Weasley slipping into the seat next to her. "Valentine's Day is just a load of…" The female Weasley used a word that Pansy would never stoop to using herself, though she very much agreed with the other witch's stated opinion. She scanned the Weasley witch's face, looking for any sign that she was being mocked by a witch deemed beautiful by many a wizard. To Pansy's surprise, she found none.

"You really mean that, don't you?" she said, instantly regretting afterwards that she hadn't thought before giving voice to those particular words.

"Yes I do, thank you very much," sniffed Ginny haughtily. "I don't know what your parents told you about us, but my parents instilled the value of telling the truth in all of us."

"Then how do you account for your brothers?"

"You mean the twins? They're demented and enjoy torturing all other members of our family equally. Is any other explanation needed?"

"No, I suppose that would do." Pansy decided to take another chance, then and there._That's not really like me,_ she thought. _Taking two big chances in just one day. It's like I'm becoming a Gryffindor. But no…I have to take advantage of such an opportunity when it presents itself._

"So it doesn't seem that Granger is willing to help me out in banning Valentine's," Pansy said hesitantly.

"Dear Merlin, no. She'll never admit it, but I think she actually enjoys the day," said the other witch.

"And here I thought she had a little bit of common sense," Pansy remarked. "But no matter. It might work out better this way."

"What way?"

"I'm not about to give up. If they won't give me an official ban on celebrating that heartless holiday, then I'll get people to boycott it instead."

The ginger haired witch's eyes lit up with understanding. "I see. That _might_ work better. If there was an official prohibition on celebrating Valentine's in any way then inevitably some students would go on and do so just to be contrary."

"Exactly. A boycott that's spread throughout the masses on the other hand…"

"I like the way you think very much," Ginny said, a smirk showing up on her face.

"Thanks," Pansy replied modestly. "Now here's what I was thinking we can do…"

* * *

**Author's note:** I know it's a bit silly and light-hearted, but it seems oddly appropriate for the day. Please review. I would love to know what you thought of this one.


	2. Three Days and Counting

**Saving Valentine's: Three Days and Counting  
**

**Disclaimer:** None of these characters are mine as they all belong to JKR. Also this story is AU for HBP and DH.

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There was a bounce to Hermione's step as she walked up the stairs to the dormitory she shared with the other seventh-year Gryffindor witches. Her conversation with Dumbledore had gone astoundingly well. Not only did he agree to leave the decorations in the hands of the students instead of making the House Elves do such work, he had remarked in passing that he had been approached by another student asking for the House Elves to be relieved of that duty. That piece of news made Hermione want to sing. Maybe the number of official S.P.E.W. members still wasn't growing, but at least she had evidence that its philosophy was finally taking hold amongst some of Hogwarts' students after so much hard work on her part. 

Hermione quickly stuck her head into her dormitory, half-expecting not to find either Lavender or Parvati. There was only three days before Valentine's, and that meant it was about time for her two roommates to kick their beauty regimens into high gear in order to look their best for whatever plans they had for that day. However, contrary to her expectations and past experience, she found both of her roommates there.

"Hello Lavender, Parvati," said Hermione as she went ahead and entered the room. She took note of the collection of books that were spread out across their beds. She tilted her head to the side in order to read the titles on the books' spines. "Divination exam coming up?" she asked.

"Yes," said Lavender. "On signs of impending doom and whatnot."

Hermione blinked. "Really? I would have thought it would be something else."

"Professor Trelawney says that most people ignore such prophecies during this month because they're too concerned with other things. So she wanted to emphasize the dangers that this month presents," Parvati explained.

Hermione suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. "Well that's good. For a moment there, I was worried that there was a quiz in Transfiguration or Potions that I had forgotten about." Her friends exchanged a glance, and she knew what was coming.

"That would _never _happen," said Lavender.

"And if it did, it would be a clear sign that the end is near," added Parvati. "I don't need a book to tell me that."

"Exactly," agreed Lavender. The three girls were silent for a moment and then broke out into peals of laughter. Over the years, the three girls had grown close to one another, and Hermione had become accustomed to her friends' habits as they had become used to hers. If it weren't for the fact that they were sorted into the same House, Hermione doubted that the three of them would be the least bit friendly with one another as they were nothing alike at all. She was glad that she got to know them even though they had vastly different goals in life. They were both kind and loyal, and she felt that her experience at Hogwarts was so much richer because she knew them.

"So I've asked and Professor Dumbledore has agreed to not make the House Elves have to put up all the decorations for Valentine's," she said. "I was wondering if you two would be willing to volunteer to help out with that."

Hermione's mind was already whirling ahead, plotting about who next to approach and just how many people she would need to decorate Hogwarts in its usual style. She had meant to start earlier, but she had major essays due in virtually all her classes this month so she hadn't had the time before now. She knew that some people would be all too willing to complain if the volunteers weren't able to do as good a job as the House Elves. Hermione was so busy making these calculations that she missed the meaningful look exchanged between Lavender and Parvati.

"You know that we would usually be more than happy to help you out," said Lavender slowly. "But neither of us is celebrating Valentine's Day this year and so…"

"That's great," said Hermione, not really paying attention. "I was thinking we should ask…" That was when she finally realized what the other witch had said. "Wait a second. What did you say? You're not participating in Valentine's this year?"

"No we're not," said Lavender, and Parvati nodded her head in agreement.

"But why?" asked Hermione.

"It's so passé. Not to mention the fact that it's just not right if you're willing to break up with your boyfriend if he doesn't do something special for you on Valentine's," explained Parvati.

"Something's probably already wrong with your relationship if that's the way you feel," said Lavender sagely. "And your priorities are a bit skewed if you think that he doesn't love you just because he didn't get you the perfect present for a day that really has no meaning."

"I can't say that I disagree with that," said Hermione. "Some people do take it too seriously. But honestly! You're not going to do anything for Valentine's?"

Both her roommates shook their heads. "No I have no plans," said Lavender.

"You could even say that I have plans to have no plans," added Parvati. She shrugged. "It will be just another day."

"So you see we can't really help you out this time. Because if we do help to decorate then it's as though we're encouraging others to continue in such a frivolous celebration," said Lavender.

Hermione pinched herself. Unfortunately she didn't wake up. "Wait a minute," she said. "This isn't some grand prank set up by a couple of wizards I know, is it?" she asked. It would be just like Ron to suggest that people come up with excuses not to help her so she could realize how ridiculous her ideas about House Elves were. And it would be just like Harry to go along with what Ron had suggested because it sounded like fun.

"No it's not," said Parvati, looking rather affronted.

"Not everything is about you, you know," sniffed Lavender.

"No, of course not," said Hermione. "I'll leave you to your studying then." She backpedaled towards the door and headed downstairs. She was shocked that Lavender and Parvati were deciding not to do anything for Valentine's Day, but that didn't change her plans too much. She would still have to find volunteers, and Hermione felt certain that some of the younger students would be willing to help. Little did she know that more nasty surprises were in store for her.

An hour later Hermione was feeling very frustrated. No one she asked was willing to volunteer for decorating duty. Everyone, it seemed, agreed with the viewpoint that Lavender and Parvati had taken. It was mind-boggling. She just couldn't wrap her mind over the concept that no one wanted to have anything to do with Valentine's Day. At first she revisited her first instinct, that this was all some grand plot by her two best friends. However Hermione knew that planning wasn't the strong point of either of her boys, and so they couldn't be responsible for this fiasco.

There were only three people she could think of who were capable of coming up with such a convoluted plot, but only one of them would actually do so. She knew Professor Snape enjoyed the way it distracted his students giving him more opportunities than usual to take away points and she really couldn't see Dumbledore bothering to take up arms against Valentine's Day.

That left Draco Malfoy.

Hermione prided herself on being more open-minded than either Harry or Ron. The two of them were always willing to accuse Malfoy for the slightest thing that went wrong. Hermione knew better than that. Malfoy wasn't the source of all evil, no matter what her friends wanted to believe. He was simply a horrid, spoiled prat who was all too adept at making people's lives miserable. If he was the source of anything at Hogwarts, he was the source of all trivial annoyances.

Only this particular plot wasn't too trivial. Though she never said it, Valentine's Day was one of her very favorite holidays. She wasn't going to stand aside and let Malfoy dismantle it for whatever twisted reason he had. If he thought he could get away with it, well then, he had another thing coming.

Hermione set off in the direction of the Slytherin dormitories, determined to give the little ferret a piece of her mind.

* * *

At the moment, Draco was sprawled out on the second largest sofa in the Slytherin common room. From the corner of his eye, he watched Crabbe and Goyle to make sure that the two of them didn't get into any trouble. It was almost farcical how badly the both of them could muck up a simple spell. Over the years Draco, along with all other Slytherins with half a brain, had developed the habit of always keeping an eye out for them whenever they were in the same room as him. It sometimes was annoying to have to do so, but his large friends had their uses. After all they were the reason that the common room was mostly empty, given how nocturnal Slytherins tended to be, allowing Draco to study in relative peace and quiet. His friend Theodore Nott was seated in the armchair beside him, and Blaise Zabini was off in a corner composing a letter to his infamous mother. Aside from the seventh years, there were only a couple of fourth year students pouring over their Transfiguration notes while occasionally glancing in Draco's direction, as if guessing whether or not it was safe to approach him for help. 

Draco sighed as he reached for the parchment he had tossed aside only minutes before. The Potions essay wasn't due for another two weeks and he had already completed his research along with several preliminary drafts, but he wanted his final version to be as close to perfect as possible. He knew that he had no reason to worry about his mark. Snape was always very generous when it came to grading Slytherins. However there were times when Snape's comments on his essays became so acerbic that they had almost burnt their way through the parchment. Draco had noticed that Granger seemed unnaturally happy whenever he got an essay back like that, and he had conjectured that she had some way of knowing about their grades. It had been Theo who had suggested that Snape became more irritable and bitter whenever the quality of their work fell too far behind Granger's. Draco hated to admit it but Theo was probably right. But then that didn't come as any real shock as Draco had always known that the other wizard was more clever than he was.

He barely caught another sigh before it escaped. It wouldn't do to sigh too often; it wasn't good for his image. But it was hard to keep working on his essays when even now his fingers itched to reach into his book bag and towards the gift his mother had sent last week. Knowing his love of good novels, she had sent him _The Mystery of Madcap Manor_, the latest book about the adventures of M. Arte Jameson. Unfortunately he had been too busy between head duties and schoolwork to even crack open the book. It looked like he wouldn't have the time to read it yet again…unless he was able to somehow justify not spending more time on his thrice damned Potions essay.

"I was wondering," said Draco casually.

"About the status of my Potions essay?" replied Theo, without even bothering to look in his direction. "Haven't started it yet."

_Damn_. There went that excuse. Although it didn't sound like Theo when he thought about it; if anything his friend rivaled Granger when it came to being obsessive over his marks. "Liar," he said accusingly.

"Draco, Draco," Theo drawled, absently turning a page of the Ancient Runes text he was reading. "I'm only doing it for your own good, you know. If I gave you the impression that I've already constructed a top-notch Potions essay, you will inevitably skive off on your own in favor of reading the rubbish that your mother loves to send you. You ought to consider reading good literature once in a while. It would do you a world of good."

"It's not rubbish. You sound like my father."

"Your father sounds like a wizard with good taste." Theo looked up from his book and shot a smirk at Draco. "It's too bad you don't take after him."

"Oi."

"You see what I mean? Don't get me wrong, your mother is a lovely woman, but she has spoiled you rotten."

Draco wisely kept his mouth shut as the first response he could think of was how Theo was deprived because he didn't have a mother. That wasn't the sort of remark that should be said ever even if it was true. Theo had a tendency to act as though he was already an old man, and Draco chalked that up the fact that his friend was raised by one. "Putting that aside for now, what would it take for me to get you to tell me how well your Potions essay is coming along?" he asked.

"Oh it's a complete disaster. I haven't been able to get any research done at all. Good thing I can count on Snape to not mark me down too much because of that," said Theo.

"Theo!" exclaimed Draco, exasperation tinging his voice.

"Now, now. Practicing a bit of self-restraint will do you a world of good. In a couple of weeks, you'll have the time to read your book. The anticipation will make it better, I wager."

"In a couple of weeks, I'll be busy revising for exams in Transfiguration and Charms," Draco pointed out.

"That's true. And those two are just the start of our series of exams, aren't they? Seeing how all of our professors want to give us an idea of what our areas of weakness are when it comes to prepping for N.E.W.T.s. Awfully kind of them, don't you think?" Theo tapped his fingers against the spine of his book. "Ah. But it seems between that and all your head duties, you won't have much spare time at all, now will you?"

"You're evil, you know that right?" Draco said.

"Thank you," Theo said modestly. "I do try my best."

"Just like when you turned down the position of Head Boy. You did that on purpose, didn't you?" he asked, having wondered for ages why his friend had turned down the position. Draco knew that if Theo hadn't had done that he would have only been a prefect this year; his father was powerful and influential but there were limits to what that power and influence could buy for his son. He had already asked his friend about the subject several times, but Theo had never given him a straight answer.

"I fail to see how I could accidentally turn the position down. But yes I did do that on purpose. I thought given how good friends we are that I would do you a favor," said Theo.

Draco snorted. "A favor? Hardly."

"Oh? Your father wasn't pleased to learn that you had earned the position?"

"He was happy all right. But don't think that I don't know that you turned it down so you wouldn't have to worry about all the extra head duties cutting into your time to revise for N.E.W.T.s."

"There is that. Awfully convenient for me how my two closest competitors have so much on their plates this year."

"Prat."

"You could have refused it too, you know."

"What? And let it go to a Gryffindor like Weasley? You knew I wouldn't do that," Draco said. "And even if I would, I doubt I could have convinced my father to let me do that." He was struck by a sudden notion. "Wait a minute. How did you convince your father to.…"

"It is easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission," Theo said succinctly. He shrugged. "I thought you would have learned that by now."

Before Draco could respond to that, he heard a scuffle start near the entrance with both Crabbe and Goyle shouting obscenities. He reached for his wand as he rose from his seat, preparing for the very worst. He heard, rather than saw, Theo doing the same beside him, and as he strode towards the entrance he knew that his friend was right behind him. Zabini had looked up from his letter and was carefully watching the proceedings, while the fourth years crept towards the stairs in case all hell broke loose.

"Crabbe! Goyle! What's wrong?" asked Draco as he approached them. Though he wasn't short by any means, they were both significantly taller than he and he couldn't see what had got them all riled up. Thankfully the two of them had never outgrown their habit of listening to him and so they broke apart so he could see the source of their outrage. He immediately wished that he didn't. From the way Hermione Granger's hair was sticking out, something had made her absolutely livid.

As soon as she caught sight of him, Granger drew herself up and sniffed. "I never thought you could sink this low, Malfoy. You really are a bastard to come up with a plot like this," she growled at him.

"I love it how she assumes you're an evil mastermind," said Theo sotto voce from behind him.

"Shut it," Draco whispered back before turning his attention to witch in front of him. "Granger dear, could you please enlighten me as to what you're referring to?"

"Oh don't you try to fool me." She took a step forward and poked his chest with her index finger. "I don't know what you said to my Gryffindors to make them act in such a way…"

"Did they all spontaneously decide to mimic lemmings and jump off the top of Gryffindor Tower?" he asked excitedly. He had a wonderful dream about the entire Gryffindor Quidditch team doing exactly that once and had been sorely disappointed when he woke up to the reality of all of them being in perfect health for their upcoming match against his team.

"No!" she replied, a horrified look on her face. "Was that you were aiming for?" Her look of horror melted into bewilderment. "Though I must say, I can't see how convincing them all not to celebrate Valentine's would lead to that happening."

It became Draco's turn to be confused. "Excuse me? Not celebrate Valentine's? Why would I do that?" he asked. He would never try to convince anyone to do that, especially when his House relied upon that day when it came to closing the gap in terms of house points. "I am not sure what fool notion your Gryffindors have taken up, but believe me, I have had nothing to do with it."

"Oh, now that's not a convincing lie. Care to try again? And keep in mind that I know Parkinson was just following your orders when she made that suggestion of hers at our last meeting." At those words, the rest of the room broke out into laughter.

"What?" Granger spat out, doing her best to level her death glare at everyone at once.

"So sorry, Granger," said Theo. "But the idea of all of us being in lock step with Draco's orders is just…."

"Mad? Insane? So ridiculous that only a Gryffindor could believe it?" suggested Zabini.

"I would have to say all of the above," answered Theo. "Our House doesn't have any sort of unified hierarchy, my dear, and I certainly don't answer—" Draco trod back on his friend's foot then and there to prevent him from saying anything else to damage Draco's reputation with the rest of Hogwarts. He liked being feared as the de facto ruler of Slytherins by idiots who didn't know better thank you very much.

"As you can see, everyone here is willing to vouch that Pansy wasn't acting at my behest. Besides why would I bother with trying to convince Gryffindors that Valentine's is a waste of time? I hardly see the point."

"There is no point, outside of the fact that you're just that mean-spirited. And it's not only my House. I ran into several other students who all informed me that they too were participating in the boycott of Valentine's."

Draco almost stumbled backwards in shock. "What? Boycott Valentine's? Whose idea was that one?"

Granger simply crossed her arms and glowered at him.

"Me? Bloody hell! Granger, I love the damn holiday. Do you know how many presents I get on that day?" He suddenly remembered just who he was talking to and decided that he didn't need to go into further detail about why he loved Valentine's Day. "Never mind. It doesn't matter. I doubt this so-called boycott has spread that far considering this is the first I've heard of it. Tell me, Granger, have you always been prone to panic attacks like this? Or is this a new development for you?"

A cough sounded from the right of him. "What is it, Goyle?" he snapped irritably. He really wanted to get rid of the annoying pest who had intruded into their common room. Then he could get back to work and maybe finish with enough time for him to enjoy his book.

"I just remembered to tell you that I can't help you out this year," Goyle said with a sheepish look on his face. "Sorry."

"Excuse me? You're not making any sense. When have you ever—"

This time it was Theo stepping forward on to his foot. "What Gregory was referring to, Draco, is the fact that he also is participating in the boycott of Valentine's and so you can't use him as a guinea pig this year for any suspicious packages you might receive."

"What?" Draco's mouth hung open for a second. "I guess that means there's just more for Crabbe then."

"Umm…actually I can't help out either," said Crabbe.

Draco whirled around to give all of his friends a hard look. "What the hell is going on here?" he asked. He spun back around. "Get out," he told Granger shortly.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Or maybe you really do need a trim for that bird's nest of yours. I said get out. I'm not sure what sort of nonsense your Gryffindors have been spreading to my Slytherins, but I assure you, I will remedy that immediately. So get out. I don't need you around." Left unspoken was the fact that he didn't want her to see how recalcitrant Slytherins really were when he tried to give them orders. Trying to get them to do anything he said was worse than trying to herd cats.

"No. I'm not leaving until I get some answers."

He rolled his eyes at her stubborn refusal. There were days when he thought that their Houses weren't all that far apart when it came to steadfast determination not to give an inch. He would find it very admirable if she wasn't currently being a nuisance to him. "Please. Clearly this is an internal House issue. I'll take care of mine, and you'll take care of yours." He launched an evil smirk in her direction. "Or is that the real reason behind you storming in here? Because you can't do anything without the help of a suave, good-looking wizard like me?"

Her snort was echoed about the room. "Fine. What about the rest of the Houses?"

"I am positive that everything will fall into place once we deal with our own. Besides it's too late to do anything for them. Do you know how cranky Hufflepuffs get when they haven't had enough sleep?" Draco shuddered. He had Herbology the next day with them, and he knew the class would be dreadful if all the Hufflepuffs were groggy from a lack of sleep.

She tilted her head fetchingly as she considered his words. Privately he thought she always looked her best when lost in thought but he would gladly die before admitting that. "That's true enough, I suppose. Very well. However if I find that you've had anything to do with manufacturing this plot…."

"I know, I know. Students will be talking of my dire fate for years to come," he said, interrupting her because he didn't have to wait for her to think of lame threat. He waved a hand to dismiss her. "Now I thought you were leaving."

She cast him one last wary glance before exiting. After she was gone, Draco turned back to his fellow Slytherins. "Okay, now that I've got rid of her, will someone tell me what's going on?" he wailed. He hated being left in the dark.

"There isn't much to tell," said Theo. "There's a boycott on celebrating Valentine's Day going around, and I am honestly surprised that you haven't heard about it yet. I do believe it has spread rather far."

"How far?"

"Well I am participating for one. As well as Crabbe and Goyle and…"

"Just about everyone else in Slytherin," added Zabini. "I find it astonishing that no one has got around to telling you about it."

"Probably because they knew I would put a stop to it," Draco grumbled. "And I will. I don't know what has got into the lot of you, but you all will renounce your participation in this stupid idea right away."

"I don't think so," said Zabini.

"We can't do that," chorused Crabbe and Goyle.

"I am afraid I am going to have to decline your invitation," said Theo.

"What?"

"Oh dear. It seems like Granger's hearing loss is contagious," Zabini remarked from his corner. "Yet another reason, I suppose, that Mudbloods aren't allowed in Slytherin."

"Hush. Leave this to me," said Theo. "There's a very simple reason why we won't listen to you."

"And that is what? That you like being difficult?" Draco tapped his foot impatiently.

"Hardly. The Slytherin girls have made it clear that any wizard participating in the holiday will be persona non grata with them for the rest of the year."

Draco openly scoffed at that remark. "You can't expect me to believe that."

"Don't. But while we all like to pretend amongst ourselves that there is no organized hierarchy in Slytherin, Pansy rules the witches with an iron fist. She's decided that she has had enough with all this Valentine nonsense and this is the result."

"And you're actually complying with her demands?" Draco asked. "I mean, even if all our witches wind up falling in line with Pansy, there are still plenty of witches in other Houses."

"True, true, but then hell hath no fury like a Slytherin witch. I for one do not want to be constantly having to watch out for hexes and jinxes thrown at me from behind my back for the rest of the year."

"Oh I'm sorry. I thought I was in fucking Slytherin. Since when has this become a haven for gutless Hufflepuffs?" Draco raged at them. "Fine! If you're all that scared of pack of witches, be that way. More presents for me if I'll be the only one accepting them." He walked back to the sofa to gather his belongings and head upstairs. He had a pounding headache from the events of the last hour and there was no point in continuing to work on his essay. He would have to do that later. Tonight he would rest up so that tomorrow he could work his magic, convincing every witch he could that she really wanted him to be her Valentine. Slytherin was probably a lost cause, given the hold that Pansy held over the witches of his House because of her family's connections in society, but there were three other Houses out there. Although given the sort of witches that were in Gryffindor, Draco decided to do his best to canvass Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff before going there.

* * *

Hermione stomped into the Gryffindor common room, still feeling rather heated from her earlier exchange with Malfoy and his Slytherin friends. She cast a quick glance around. It took her all of a second to ascertain where her best friends were located. True to form, they were staying up late and huddled over a chessboard. 

"Are you busy?" she asked once she was in earshot.

"Busy? Us? What does it look like?" asked Ron. "I'm only in the middle of deciding whether to crush Harry's bishop or demolish his knight."

"Oh good. Because I need to talk to you about something." Hermione dropped down beside them and cleared the chessboard with a wave of her wand.

"Hey! We were in the middle of a game there!" protested Ron.

"But you said you were going to win anyway," Hermione said blithely.

"Actually that isn't what he said," said Harry, sounding somewhat upset. "He only said that he was about to take another piece of mine."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Harry," she said reasonably, "half your pieces were already gone. It was only a matter of time before you lost. Ron was just drawing things out because he likes to toy with his prey. He's worse than Crookshanks in that regard, really. Besides we have more important things to talk about, and time is of the essence. You two can always start another game later."

"Thanks," muttered Harry.

"Your generosity astounds me," Ron noted sarcastically.

"If the two of you are finished with trying to make smart remarks?" She ignored the groans that issued from her friends. "We're in the midst of a dire situation, and I only have myself to blame for not cottoning on sooner."

Harry sat up noticeably straighter at those words. "What is it, Hermione?" he asked, his voice dropping to a whisper.

Hermione followed suit. It wouldn't do to alert all of Hogwarts to her plans. "Someone—I don't know who—has been arranging for a boycott of Valentine's Day amongst the students," she informed them.

"Excuse me?" said Harry.

"What?" asked Ron.

"I know. It's horrible, isn't it?"

"What's horrible is that you interrupted us for that," Harry complained.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. We already knew about that Hermione. Who do you think went to Dumbledore asking for the House Elves not to bother decorating in three day's time?"

"What?"

"Merlin, you'd think that our girl here has developed some sort of hearing problem," Ron said. "We already know about the boycott, and I for one think it's a brilliant idea."

"You wouldn't know a good idea if it bit you in the arse," said Hermione crossly. "It's a horrible idea, I'll have you know, and we all are going to put a stop to it."

"What? Why is it that you always think my ideas are bad?" asked Ron.

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Your ideas aren't always bad," she said. "Most of them are, it's true, but not all of them. It helps when you're not thinking with your stomach, just to let you know." She narrowed her eyes at her tall friend. "Is that's what all this is about? You don't want to waste any of your precious stash of chocolate frogs to woo a witch?"

"No I don't. Besides I never actually did that. You said that was one of the worst ideas you ever heard of, remember?"

"It is. Astonishing lack of any sense of romance that. Honestly! If I weren't here to watch out for you, what would you do?"

"I don't know. Maybe be a lot happier?" Ron's voice began to increase in volume. "Seriously, Hermione, you're always like this. My ideas are no good so I should just shut up and do what you say."

"That sounds about right. So when are you going to get around to shutting up so I can explain the bulk of my plan?" she asked.

Harry stood up to step in between the two of them. "Okay, I think things are getting a little heated here. Ron, you know how Hermione can get when she latches on to an idea. Hermione, you know you can be rather pushy when you think you're in the right."

"I am right," she told him.

"That's right. You're never wrong. How could I forget that fact?" asked Harry sarcastically. "To be frank, I have never been fond of Valentine's and if popular sentiment is against the holiday for once…well I have no complaints."

Hermione glowered at him. "Harry!" she admonished him. "How could you? It's a lovely day, made to celebrate love—"

Ron snorted, interrupting her. "To celebrate love? Hardly. The truth is that it's a day invented by witches to cement their control over us wizards. We're expected to fret and worry over what to get the witch we fancy, where to take her, what to say…it's a bloody nightmare, that's what it is."

"Just because you're too insensitive to know what a witch wants doesn't mean the holiday is worthless," said Hermione pointedly. "There's no point in trying to ruin it for everyone just because you're bitter over your past failures. That's hardly sporting of you."

"Me? Bitter?" Ron said as though he couldn't believe she had accused him of that. "I'm not bitter. I'm fed up. I'm fed up with witches always telling me what to do. Whenever I'm at home my mum won't let up with telling me how to act, and when I'm here, you take her place. I have had it. From now on, I'm through with listening and nodding my head and doing whatever you want even though it defies common sense. You want me to help you out with stopping this boycott? Well my answer is no!"

Hermione sniffed haughtily at him. "I don't think you want to do that."

"Why? Because you're going to not help me with my homework if I don't?" he asked mockingly.

"Ever again," she told him.

"Fine. I don't want your help if it comes with chains," he said. He clapped Harry on the back. "And Harry here feels the same way."

Harry issued a long-suffering sigh. "Not exactly the same way, but no I'm not going to help you out here because I don't agree with your position, Hermione," he said. "I hope you understand."

"If that's the way it's going to be, that's the way it's going to be," she said with a shrug. "Just don't come crying to me in two weeks when we have that essay due in Potions." She flounced up the stairs, her mind quickly rethinking her earlier plans. Clearly her next step would to be to assay the situation in the other two Houses before arranging for some sort of meeting to encourage students that it was okay to celebrate Valentine's Day.

Harry and Ron simply watched her leave. Once she was gone, Harry turned to Ron. "So do you want to start a new game?" he asked. One glance at his friend was all he needed to see that Ron was still fuming over Hermione's words. She had been at her bossy worst during the whole exchange, and Ron had borne the brunt of it.

"I can't believe the nerve of that girl," Ron said. "I mean, she acts as though she expects us to jump just because she says so. Who does she think she is?"

"I know," said Harry, patting Ron on the back in an attempt to console him. Ron, however, was having none of it.

"You know, it's partially our fault. We tell her yes far too often for our own good. It's easier for us to agree than to have to sit and listen to her nag at us. We've got to stop doing it. It's a bad habit. We need to learn to tell her no." Suddenly a gleam lit up his eyes.

"Oh no," said Harry to himself. He knew that look. Ron had come up with an idea, and if Hermione usually labeled Ron's ideas as bad that was because they usually were.

"I have it. What we need is a support group for all men who are constantly hen-pecked by women."

Harry decided to nip that bad idea in the bud. "And what would you tell your mother?"

Ron immediately deflated. "I hadn't thought about it." He thought it over. "What if I just didn't tell her?"

"And count on your mum not hearing about it from someone?"

"Damn it! Why is it that my ideas always get shot down?"

"There, there," said Harry. "Look on the bright side. You didn't really have time to organize a support group like that anyway. You have to get started on your Potions essay because there's no way Hermione's going to help you after this."

"That's the bright side?"

"If you come up with something better, let me know."

* * *

**Author's note:** Thanks so much for reading. I would love any reviews you choose to send my way, be they good or bad. 

Also I'd like to thank Ehlonna and dracosnumber1girl for their reviews. I hope this update was fast enough. I'm planning to update once a day with the last chapter on 2/14.


	3. Two Days To Go

**Saving Valentine's: Two Days To Go  
**

**Disclaimer:** None of these characters are mine as they all belong to JKR. Also this story is AU for HBP and DH.

* * *

Hermione reflected that it was disconcerting how one could compare the gaze of each and every Ravenclaw to some kind of bird. For example, Luna gave off the impression of a somewhat absent-minded owl. However the Ravenclaws that she was speaking with were nothing like her friend. No they more resembled birds of prey. Birds of prey that hunted in a pack, although she didn't think there were any like that. That set her to thinking, and she mentally rifled through all the books she had ever read on ornithology. There was one species, she seemed to recall, a desert hawk that hunted in groups but for the life of her, she couldn't remember its name. She sighed to herself. Inevitably she would find herself hunting up that information later otherwise it would bother her all night.

"It is, isn't it?" Lisa Turpin asked, her voice sounding very shrill. "Don't try to deny it. We are all clever enough here to figure out the reason why you've been quiet for so long is because you're trying to think up of a good lie."

"And everyone knows that you're shit at that," added Terry Boot. "Well let me tell you that it's not going to work. We're a tight-knit bunch, and the prospect of working with the Head Girl isn't going to break us apart."

Hermione blinked as she tried to remember what was last said before her mind had wandered off. "No, no. Sorry. I have a lot on my mind these days."

That only fueled the angry buzz amongst the Ravenclaws that surrounded her. Now the name of that damned bird was really bugging her. She pushed that to one corner of her mind as she tried to concentrate on the task at hand.

"Honestly!" she said. "My asking about your plans for Valentine's wasn't some sort of code for who is still without a study partner."

"Pity," said a dark-haired Ravenclaw wizard. He looked up and down at her while Hermione tried to put a name to his face. "Because if you're looking to branch out and spend some time with intelligent wizards as opposed to those bird-brains you are usually with…well you've come to the right place."

"Traitor," muttered Mandy Brocklehurst. "Did you forget you're a part of our group, Anthony?"

"Yeah, and look what sort of results I've got ever since I started revising with you all. I'm not even in the top ten any more," he shot back.

"You only have yourself to blame for that," Mandy sniffed.

"Everyone please!" said Hermione, interrupting before another squabble could break out amidst the academic mavens. "My question was meant to be taken at face value. I heard that some people are twisting arms to get everyone to participate in a boycott of Valentine's Day, and I wanted to reassure anyone with plans that they'll have the support of both head students."

"Why?" asked Mandy.

"That's awfully convenient. Is there an ulterior motive behind the two of you wanting all of us to make frivolous plans?" asked Padma.

"No, not at all," protested Hermione, holding up her hands in front of her.

"That's not what I think," said Terry. His entire demeanor shook with barely-contained anger although Hermione had no clue why. He soon enlightened her. "You stole our study schedule didn't you?"

"What?"

"She's not denying it," whispered Lisa to another Ravenclaw wizard Hermione couldn't recognize. "That must mean it's true."

"Dear Merlin," Hermione said in exasperation. "Whatever makes you think that I stole your schedule?"

"Because obviously you're trying to disrupt it by convincing us to make alternate plans for Valentine's," Terry said.

"I'm not. I haven't even seen it," Hermione said. Then her curiosity got the better of her common sense. It would be interesting and potentially useful to see what sort of schedule they came up with and how it matched up against hers. "If you let me take a look at it, I can verify that I haven't seen anything like it," she added slyly.

"Aha!" exclaimed Terry. "There it is! Proof positive that you're trying to sabotage us!"

"What?" She seemed to be repeating herself a lot during this one conversation.

"He's right," said Padma, crossing her arms. "Trying to get another peek at our plans, are you? How low can you go?"

"Oh for the love of...argh!" Hermione stomped her foot. This was beginning to get ridiculous and that reminded her of what had happened with them last year. "All right. When was the last time all of you slept? Because the last time you got this paranoid was during last year's end of term exams when you all were taking Lethe's Bane so you could go for weeks without sleeping."

"We don't have to answer that," they all chorused.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at the lot of them. She knew all about wanting to do your best on N.E.W.T.s, but all your work would go for naught if you wound up in the hospital wing. She tried another approach. "You do know that after last year's debacle, Professor Dumbledore has made it against the rules to bring that particular potion into Hogwarts."

"Don't worry," said Terry.

"We're not breaking any rules," Anthony added, "so you don't have to worry your pretty little head about us."

Hermione held back her urge to sigh. "On the contrary, it seems like I always have to worry about you," she said.

"I didn't know you cared." A smug smirk covered Anthony's face.

"Not that way!" Hermione stomped her foot again.

"Obviously," added Mandy. "But then he's always been on the slow side."

"She's worried that we'll catch up to her and get more N.E.W.T.s than her," explained Padma to Anthony before he had time to react to Mandy's last insult.

"Not that way either," Hermione sniped back. She had had enough of this and they were due to be put in their place. "Frankly your House offers no competition when it comes to that. My closest rivals are from Slytherin. Sometimes I wonder if your House's founder is dreadfully disappointed in this year's crop."

She ignored their gasps of outrage and whirled around to get away from them, silently casting a protection charm in case any of them decided to hex her for that comment. None of them did, and Hermione chalked that up as more proof that none of them had been getting any sleep as of late. Going back over their words, she decided that they must be brewing the illegal stimulant for themselves. _I had better check with Professor Snape about that_, she thought to herself. _Although he'll probably tell me I'm a busybody who should mind her own business. Fine. I'll get Malfoy to bug Snape about that. That should work out better._

That decision reached, Hermione made her way towards the Hufflepuff dormitory. She had agreed with Malfoy earlier that she would see how the Ravenclaws were while he checked out the situation with the Hufflepuffs. Left unspoken was the fact that neither of them had had any luck when it came to dealing with their own Houses. That was one thing she was grateful for; over time an informal truce had develop between the two head students not to talk about sensitive issues. Instead the two of them had decided to approach the other Houses in Hogwarts to see how far the boycott had spread. She supposed she should have been suspicious of the way he had insisted he be allowed to approach the Hufflepuffs. Clearly that was the easier task which was why he had wanted it for himself, and Hermione wouldn't have put it past him to already have known that the Ravenclaws were up to their old tricks. _And of course he couldn't be bothered to try and put a stop to it. Typical Malfoy._

Hermione had just past the Great Hall when the sound of muffled laughter reached her ears. She frowned to herself. Something about the tone of that laughter set off warning bells in her head, although it didn't sound malicious. Patting her wand to make sure it was where it should be, she headed towards the source of the now high-pitched giggling.

She rounded the corner, and to her dismay, she caught sight of her fellow head student, surrounded by a gaggle of witches, all jockeying for the best position.

"Now, now, ladies," said Malfoy with a cheerful smile on his face. "There's no need to fight. There's enough of me to go around."

Hermione rolled her eyes. When Malfoy had returned for their sixth year, she and her friends had reasonably expected him to be crestfallen with his father having landed in Azkaban and all. However it turned out that Narcissa Malfoy had proven more cunning and wily than her husband, and she had quickly forged new alliances and done whatever it took in order to restore her family back into the good graces of the Wizarding World. As a result Malfoy had wound up more popular than ever once his mother had publicly disavowed the Death Eaters. He never lacked for female attention, particularly as he was now seen as infinitely more approachable. It was rather annoying that. She supposed that Malfoy was one of the more handsome wizards at Hogwarts—that is if you liked them pale and pasty. His complexion looked as though he had never spent more than a few minutes out in the sun. A small smile graced her face as she recalled how back in their sixth year, Harry and Ron had come up with an insanely humorous prank on Malfoy that involved about all the heads of garlic that Hogwarts had. She had known it was doom to failure when Ron had first told her about it, but she hadn't done anything to stop her boys from carrying it out. Seeing Malfoy chased by hordes of flying garlic the entire day was too amusing a prospect to pass up, even though Harry and Ron had been caught in the end.

Meanwhile, Malfoy was continuing to charm the fifth- and sixth-year Hufflepuffs around him. "So I was wondering…are any of you willing to divulge what you're getting me for Valentine's?"

The laughter stopped, and the mood of the witches seemed to darken. Malfoy's smile began to fade from his face. The witches all looked at one another as if silently debating who would be the bearer of bad news to Malfoy. Finally a tall, thin blonde stepped forward.

"Do you mean you haven't heard?" she asked, wringing her hands together.

"Heard what, darling?" asked Malfoy, turning up his smile to stun once more.

"No one's celebrating Valentine's this year. There's a boycott," she told him.

"A boycott?" he gasped. He clasped both hands to his chest as though he was struck by the blonde's words. "Dearest, tell me that you're not telling the truth."

"But I am," she said. She dropped her voice to a whisper that carried throughout the corridor. "And there's more. I heard from Melody that earlier today Professor Trelawney saw a most dreadful fate for any couple caught celebrating Valentine's while teaching the seventh years."

Malfoy shook his head sagely. "Is that what you all are scared of?" he asked. "You shouldn't believe it. I, for one, am not afraid and am willing to risk it all for love."

"That's because apparently you have no shame," said Hermione as she approached the group. She looked at Malfoy through narrowed eyes. "You know, when we agreed to check into the rumors about a boycott of Valentine's, this isn't exactly what I had in mind."

Malfoy spread his arms magnanimously. "Of course _you_ wouldn't understand. How many Valentines have you received during your stint here at Hogwarts?" The Hufflepuffs all laughed nervously before shutting up at the glint in Hermione's eyes. "I have to ensure that I make room in my schedule to spend a bit of time with everyone who sends me a present."

"Like you do every year?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow at him. So that was his idea of how to bribe witches into giving him presents in the face of tremendous peer pressure. Hermione turned her attention to the blonde witch standing next to him. "If you want a wizard to be your Valentine, trust me, you could do so much better than him."

The other witch's face crinkled up in confusion. "Do you mean to say that you think I shouldn't give Draco anything?" she asked

"No!" said Malfoy quickly.

"Ignore the ferret. You're right. I don't think you should give him anything. He's not worth it."

"Oi! I can hear you, you know."

"And that scares me not the slightest bit. I mean, look at him. Is he worth it? And if you're still thinking he is, then remember that with the stack of presents he usually receives at most you'll get five minutes with him."

"Don't listen to her! She's just jealous!" shouted Malfoy over her.

"Of what?" she asked, sniffing dismissively in his direction.

"Of all of these lovely witches here," he said. His grin returned and she knew he felt that he had control of the situation again. "Clearly ladies, she would love for me to be her Valentine but I'm sorry I'm just not—"

"Up to my standard in wizards," Hermione interjected quickly.

Malfoy's mouth fell open. "Excuse me? Considering your standard is the Weasel—"

"Two words. Viktor Krum. He's an international Quidditch star, in case you've forgotten, and you're clearly not in his league. Now he is a real gentleman unlike this pale ferret that stands before us." Hermione could see that she had finally got through to all the other witches, who were nodding their heads in agreement.

"You're right," said the blonde.

"He isn't worth it," added a brunette Hufflepuff.

"He really isn't all that handsome even," added the blonde. "Not unless you like your men pale and pointy that is."

Hermione rubbed her hands together in satisfaction as she watched the Hufflepuffs meander away. "I see my work here is done," she said smugly.

"Thanks a lot, Granger. I had them going there. A few more minutes and they all would be rushing to buy presents for me before the big day," Malfoy complained.

"Honestly! Is that your idea of trying to convince students not to be pressured into boycotting the holiday?"

"Of course. Once word got out that there were some witches who were going to take advantage of the boycott to gain my affections, the rest of them would have soon followed suit."

"I hate to break this to you…oh who am I trying to fool? I love to be the bearer of bad news when it comes to you so let me tell you that you're not the center of Valentine's."

"Granger, you only say that because you know you don't stand a chance. Sorry love, but if I'm not the most handsome wizard here then you're not even in the running when it comes to being the most fetching witch at Hogwarts." Malfoy wagged a finger at her.

For some odd reason, Hermione was tempted to pull his finger. She settled for snorting instead. "Honestly. I have trouble believing that they were all falling for your act in the first place."

He shrugged. "Why do you think I wanted the Hufflepuffs? They're too trusting for their own good. If I had picked Ravenclaw, they would have been all over me, asking if my asking about Valentine's was code for my needing a new study partner."

Hermione felt her cheeks turn red as she remembered what the Ravenclaws' reaction had been.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Ah. I see I was correct."

"Prick."

"Yes, they can be especially that Boot fellow. I don't like him one bit." He frowned. "I'm surprised he actually asked you though. He usually goes for blondes."

"Speaking from experience here?" asked Hermione acerbically. Before Malfoy could respond, she changed the subject. "But that's neither here nor there. Have you figured out how this boycott originated? All I heard from the Ravenclaws was how ecstatic they were to do away with Valentine's as that leaves more time for revising for N.E.W.T.s."

"You mean aside from that old fake's prediction those Hufflepuffs were rattling off?" Malfoy rolled his eyes. "As a matter of fact, I do know who is responsible for the idea. I must confess that I am surprised that you haven't managed to figure it out."

Hermione glared at him. Unfortunately her death glare failed yet again, and she was wondering if it were possible to exchange it for something for more effective. Like a giant hammer she could materialize at will to bash in the head of whoever was currently annoying her.

"I see that the strain of all the extra duties you've taken on as Head Girl is finally making an appearance. I'm very glad to see that. I hope it reflects in the quality of your schoolwork," said Malfoy.

"You better start hoping it reflects in the quality of my hexes if you don't give me a straight answer this instant," said Hermione. "And might I add that it would be false hope."

Malfoy gulped. "Fine, fine. Who was it who proposed that we ban Valentine's at the last prefects meeting?"

"Parkinson?" Hermione asked. "But wait a second. I thought you said you weren't behind this."

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Contrary to popular belief, I do not have Pansy wrapped around my little finger, more's the pity. Do you know how useful that would be? All the witches in Slytherin fear her because of the contacts her mother has."

Hermione scrunched up her nose. She hadn't known that. She filed that piece of information away for future use. "All right then. Let's go have a talk with Parkinson."

"No can do," said Malfoy, wagging his finger once more. "I'm not sure how things work over in Gryffindor as you're all a bunch of heathen savages at heart, but in Slytherin, wizards aren't allowed into the witches' side."

"Nice try. Thankfully I know that Parkinson had asked to switch her patrol schedule around with Colin Creevey." Hermione frowned. Colin usually patrolled with Ginny, and she didn't like the implications of the switch.

"I see she has a Gryffindor accomplice," noted Malfoy. Hermione silently cursed him; he was too quick for his own good.

"We'll see. Anyway Parkinson is supposed to start her patrol in about half an hour with Ginny."

"Meaning they would have to meet some place."

"And the library is the natural spot," finished Hermione.

"I know," said Malfoy. "What is it about becoming a prefect that makes people lose all sense of creativity? Why not meet in the Potions dungeon if you're scheduled to patrol with someone outside of your House? That's a nice safe spot to start from."

"I could make a remark now about you obviously being descended from vampires, but I'll pass," said Hermione.

"Thanks. Because I could do with one less attempt on your part at being clever."

"Shut it. We had better get a move on if we're going to intercept them before their patrol starts," Hermione told him. Fortunately Malfoy recognized the truth of her words and he didn't say anything else. They settled into an easy pace as they walked towards the library, with Malfoy taking two steps to every three of hers. She was out of breath when the doors to the library finally came into sight, but she was glad that they had hurried. Standing just outside the library were the two witches they were looking for.

"Pansy! She-Weasel!"called out Malfoy as he quickened his pace into a trot.

Hermione resisted the urge to cast a jelly legs jinx on him so she could catch up without having to resort to running. She settled for arriving there after him. She was out of breath as it was and running would only make that worse. _Besides Ginny will have to answer that insult he threw at her_, she reasoned to herself. _She won't let him get away with that one, and I can miss that. She doesn't need my help._

Hermione's faith in her friend was proved well-earned when she finally arrived at the spot where everyone else was standing. Malfoy was turning red while Ginny tossed her hair in triumph. Oddly enough Parkinson was smirking at Malfoy's discomfort, instead of leaping to his defense. Hermione took a closer look at the situation. It was probably her imagination, but Pansy now appeared to be taking a shot at Malfoy herself.

Hermione shook her head. Obviously it wasn't only the Ravenclaws who needed to catch up on sleep.

"Stop that," she told Malfoy. "Hasn't anyone ever told you that you don't start a civilized conversation by insulting the other party?"

"Hasn't anyone ever told you that Gryffindors aren't civilized?" he retorted. "I do believe I did make some reference to the lot of you being savages not that long ago."

"Ignore him, Hermione. He's still sore over the fact that he'll never get another chance to beat Harry to the snitch," said Ginny.

"There is that," said Hermione.

"Is that's what this is all about?" Malfoy said, glaring accusingly at Ginny. "Is that why you've pulled Pansy into your web of deceit? Because you don't want me to beat Potter at anything?"

Ginny exchanged a confused glance with Hermione. "Malfoy I have no idea what you're going on about."

"He's referring to his pile of Valentine presents. His is always smaller than Potter's even after his mother…well you know," Pansy told them.

"Is that why you're so hung up about this boycott?" asked Hermione. "Because you're worried only about your pile of presents and not anything else?"

"What else is there?" Malfoy shrugged. "Unlike you, I don't buy into the fairy tales spread about the day. That's rather unlike you, now that I think about it."

"That's because you haven't seen her summer reading list," Ginny offered.

"Hush you." Hermione shot her friend a warning glance. She didn't need anyone else in the school to know what she read when she wanted a bit of light reading. It was much better for everyone to think that she thought a large dusty tome explaining the origins of magic was what she considered light reading. Hermione knew that idea scared the hell out of all the Ravenclaws, and she rather liked having that effect on them.

"Putting aside the reason why I'm fond of the day," said Hermione, "Malfoy here thinks that the two of you are responsible for all this boycott talk currently going around the school."

"Wow. He's smarter than I gave him credit. Good going, Draco," said Pansy. "Keep that up and you might one day—"

"Shut up." Malfoy crossed his arms and leaned up against a pillar.

"Fine, fine. I'll leave it at that for now," said Pansy.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it. Now as I was saying, he's right. I can understand why you had trouble believing him Granger, believe me I know. But I am very proud of the fact that this boycott wouldn't have been possible without all my hard work." Ginny coughed. "Oh! And that of my accomplice too. You Weasleys do make good side kicks," she said with a smile for the ginger haired witch.

"Side kick?" Ginny's mouth dropped open. "Is that how you think of me?"

"Okay, let's not get sidetracked," said Hermione. "How Pansy feels about you is really not relevant."

"I think it is," chorused Ginny and Malfoy.

"What?" Ginny's resulting death glare at Malfoy would have been very much coveted by Hermione if it had any effect.

"Well?" asked Malfoy, ignoring the irate redhead in favor of staring at Pansy.

"I really don't see what your problem is," said Pansy. "With the boycott, that is, as that's obviously the subject at hand."

Hermione mentally approved of how the black-haired witch ignored the antics of their counterparts. "The idea of a boycott in theory isn't anything I have a problem with. It's the fact that it seems to be an enforced boycott…that's what troubles me," she explained.

"What's the good of having a boycott if no one thinks there's going to be any enforcement?" Pansy shrugged her shoulders eloquently.

"If there's any enforcement then it's no longer a boycott. It's a ban. And I specifically remember us saying at our last meeting that we weren't going to unilaterally ban the holiday."

"Well you're not. The student body has taken up arms against the insanity that is Valentine's Day," Pansy replied evenly.

Hermione snorted. "Hardly. From what I hear, there are plenty of students who are scared of what might happen to them if they do dare to celebrate the day."

"I have no idea why," said Pansy. "I won't be doing anything."

"Really?" Hermione lifted one eyebrow up in disbelief. "No retaliation on your part whatsoever?"

"None at all."

"And your friends?"

"Now really Granger! I might make threats, but I'm hardly going to go after anyone who does send out Valentines, much less encourage my friends to do so in my place. That's hardly sporting."

"And so you have no idea how that rumor started?" Hermione asked, her tone full of skepticism.

"Oh I do know how it started. We started it."

"We? Meaning you and your...ah…side kick?"

"I'm _not_ a side kick," Ginny insisted. "My brother might settle for being one but not me."

"Well what did you think you were signing up for when you decided to team up with Pansy?" asked Malfoy, sounding all too reasonable. "You must have known that she doesn't take orders from anyone."

"It wasn't for second billing, that much is certain," Ginny sniped back.

_Divide and conquer works yet again_, Hermione silently congratulated herself.

"Can we stop this nonsense? Does it matter?" asked Pansy. "I think what's on point is the fact that we won't be subjected to the tyranny of Valentine's for yet another year."

"Tyranny? It was never that," Hermione said.

"That's what you think. But then you've never sat on the sidelines, waiting for a sign that the boy you fancied...well, never mind. No need to get into _that_. But believe you me, Granger, there are many miserable people on Valentine's who spend it all alone."

"I know," said Hermione. "That's part of its charm, really."

The three other students stared at her in shock. "Granger…that's twisted, very twisted. And remember this is coming from a Slytherin," Malfoy finally said.

"To be more to the point, think of the sort of people Malfoy has in his family and still he thinks that's wrong," added Ginny.

"Oh honestly! You make it sound as though I enjoy other people's pain," she said.

The other three all looked at one another. "That is what it sounds like to begin with," Ginny put in.

"Well I don't mean it that way. I mean, there are plenty of miserable people on Valentine's who hate the day and how everyone gets all mushy about it. That's great. They should have no problem finding each other. I mean, look at you and Pansy. That has got to make it better for the people who don't have anyone…misery does love company and all."

"That's small comfort," said Ginny.

"Exactly. I know you like to look at things through rose-colored glasses and all, but trust me Granger, it doesn't make me feel any better to know that there are others out there who are just as miserable as me," Pansy said. "What does make me feel good is knowing that I don't have to worry about being alone on Valentine's this year. Because no one is going to be pushing their relationship in my face and gloating, unlike every other year. Be fair, Granger. That's what you're infamous for after all. For the past six years, all of us who hate the day have had to deal with its proponents strewing the corridors with paper hearts and sending singing Valentines to whoever it is that they fancy." Pansy nodded her head decisively. "I am looking forward to a quiet breakfast this year on the fourteenth."

Hermione sighed. She wasn't getting through to the other witches. "And you don't feel guilty at all that you may have—probably have at that—ruined plans that other students had had for months?"

"Not the slightest. Did they think about my feelings or the feelings of those like me when they were making those plans? I highly doubt it. Now if you excuse us, I do believe Ginny and I have a patrol that we had best get started." She turned around and began to walk away.

Ginny reached into the bag she had at her side, digging frantically for something. Finally she found it. "Here," she said, thrusting something into Hermione's hands. "I don't know if you'll ever be able to understand how we feel but maybe this will help." With that she scurried off after her fellow conspirator.

"That was a waste of time," Malfoy said as he watched the other witches leave. "Frankly I don't see why we bothered in the first place. I could have told you…." He went on and on about how he knew it would do no good to confront Pansy and Ginny, but Hermione wasn't paying any attention to him.

Instead she was focused on the pamphlet Ginny had handed her. It detailed all the problems with Valentine's Day, labeling it as a corporate holiday dedicated to selling as many flowers and sweets as possible. She could hardly believe her eyes. That cow had taken a page from her own book and had printed up pamphlets in support of her position.

Well Hermione wasn't going to let that one go by without answering it. She still had everything she needed to print up a new set of pamphlets in favor of Valentine's Day left over from her last attempt to garner more members for S.P.E.W. Hermione spun around on her heel, completely ignoring Malfoy's continued babbling, and marched back to her dormitory, plans spinning in her head about what her pamphlets would say. Promoting a meeting of those in favor of the holiday was a good idea as well. That might help undo the smear campaign that Pansy and Ginny had orchestrated on it.

* * *

**Author's note:** Thanks so much for reading. I would love it if you would leave me a review and let me know what you think of this fic.

And I'd like to thank Snowe for reviewing the last chapter. I like silly little stories like this one as well. It makes for a nice change of pace from the more serious, plot-driven stuff.


	4. One Day Left

**Saving Valentine's: One Day Left  
**

**Disclaimer:** None of these characters are mine as they all belong to JKR. Also this story is AU for HBP and DH.

* * *

Draco still felt somewhat miffed over the way Granger had left him last night. She hadn't even had the good manners to say good bye before she had stalked off. Of course he supposed that might have been partly his fault. He had been doing his best to get her to admit that she had been wrong and he had been right. It would have been a rare coup if he had succeeded. However he hadn't and he had been left standing, talking to air, when Granger made her escape.

Because of that he wasn't feeling very charitable towards the Gryffindor witch when he received her summons demanding that he be present for some sort of meeting in the abandoned Alchemy classroom. Draco very much wanted to tell her where she could stick her demand but he refrained from doing so. Granger was his only ally in his attempt to save Valentine's, and it simply wouldn't do to alienate her especially as Valentine's was practically on him. He sighed to himself. It was pathetic really. He had spent the rest of the evening afterwards and a good portion of today on trying to convince witches that it was quite all right to go ahead and send him a present for Valentine's. He had wheedled and pleaded and argued that Pansy and her posse wouldn't really do anything to anyone, but it was to no avail. He had only stopped when he realized how close to begging he had come. And that wouldn't do.

Because Malfoys _never_ begged. It was true that much of the Malfoy code of conduct had been rewritten ever since his father was sent to languish in Azkaban. However some things were simply not done, and begging was one of them. Draco had become resigned to the fact that he wouldn't be receiving anything for Valentine's which was truly a pity. He liked knowing that there were witches out there who admired him by receiving all manners of sweets and presents from them. When he had come back for his sixth year, he had been hesitant for fear that he would be outcast because of what his father had done. He had followed his mother's example and done his best to not act superior on the basis of his blood status. It had taken some getting used to but the end results had been worth it. He had found himself being popular amongst his fellow students, and he rather enjoyed the feeling. He knew it was childish to require tangible evidence that he was well-liked by others but he couldn't help it. That was part of the reason why he decided to comply with Granger's request.

That being said, he did take his time getting there and wound up being twenty minutes late.

"Oh good. I'm glad to see that you're here," said Granger to him as he entered the room.

"Do I detect a note of sarcasm in your voice?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "If you do then you're imagining things. I _am _glad to have you here. I think it will take our combined efforts to convince all attendees that we will protect them from any repercussions. Honestly! People should be able to celebrate Valentine's without fear of retaliation. I can't believe that Ginny agreed to such a plan."

Draco wisely stayed quiet instead of mentioning a certain Valentine that Potter had received in their second year. The best thing about that particular debacle was that he hadn't even sent it. Indeed he hadn't thought of bad Valentines as a way to torture Potter until after She-Weasel had shown him the way. "So what is it that we're doing here exactly?" he asked, trying to find a safe topic.

She rolled her eyes as though he had asked an exceedingly stupid question. "It's a support group meeting. To help convince people that it's all right to celebrate Valentine's anyway you like. I figured that I would go first, talking about all the things I like about the day and you could…" Her voice trailed off as she remembered their earlier conversations about what was it that Draco liked about the holiday. "Oh. Right. Well I don't want this meeting to be used by you as a way to solicit presents. Perhaps you could cover what measures we'll take if we hear of any retaliation by the boycotters?"

"Fine." He didn't see any need to mention that his earlier attempts to convince students of that fact had not been successful. "So when exactly are you planning on holding this meeting?" he asked. That was a very good question. Tomorrow was Valentine's, and it was already evening. Granger was an eternal optimist. He didn't know how they would get word out in time to have anything but the shortest of meetings. He began rocking back and forth in his chair, occasionally balancing it on the rear two legs as he thought of what options they had open to them.

"Here of course. We were supposed to start five minutes ago but you were late and so…."

Draco looked around the room. No one else was present. "Did you tell anyone about this meeting?" he couldn't help but ask.

"Of course!" replied Granger, looking affronted. He thought it was a good look for her. "I handed out pamphlets all day. I'm rather surprised you haven't seen any." She handed one to him.

Idly he looked over her pamphlet. Reaching into his robes, he pulled out a copy of the one that Pansy was circulating. A swift comparison of the two showed that Granger had neatly countered each and every point that Pansy had made in hers. _Maybe this would work after all_, he thought. He frowned. _Did these get distributed though? Because I would think there would be more people here already._

"Are you certain that people got these? And read these?" he added.

That earned him another roll of Granger's eyes. "Of course Malfoy. Who do you think handed them out? And while I know some people just threw them away as soon as my back was turned, others were very taken with them and started reading right away."

"Oh," he said. _Well who is on time to these sorts of things anyway?_ he thought._Merlin knows the only reason why I'm here right now is because I'm twenty minutes late._ "So do you want to wait a few more minutes?" he asked.

Granger glanced down at her watch. "No," she replied, shaking her head. "It's now ten minutes past our start time so let's go ahead and get going."

"Granger. Have you lost the plot? Take a good look around you. Do you see how many people are here?"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "There are more people here than at some of my S.P.E.W. meetings, and that's never stopped me before."

Draco, who at the moment had been leaning precariously back in his chair, toppled over at those words. He landed with a thud on the floor. He gingerly got up, rubbing his head. It ached and was tender to the touch.

"Malfoy! Are you all right?" He looked up to see Granger worriedly looking down at him.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine, thanks for asking," he replied. "I think the question should be if you're all right in the head! Do you mean to tell me you've actually held spew meetings with no one there?"

"It's S.P.E.W.," she corrected him. "And yes, of course I have."

Now his head was beginning to pound, and Draco reconsidered his decision to work with Granger. True she was the only one who seemed to care as much about Valentine's as he did, but clearly she had problems. _Major problems_, he amended. _Who is crazy enough to hold a meeting when you're the only one in attendance? Evidently Granger is. Funny. I don't think she was always this loony. Maybe it's because she spends so much time with those goons she calls friends._

"I'm not crazy," she suddenly told him. Guilty he looked up, wondering how she could have known what he had been thinking. "Oh honestly! The expression on your face told me all I needed to know about what was running through your head. I don't need to take a trip to St. Mungo's to have my head examined, thank you very much. And of course I still held those meetings even if I didn't see anyone else there! Haven't you ever heard of extendable ears? Just because I can't see anyone doesn't mean that there's no one listening."

_Funny. My mother's said that to me on more than one occasion too, _thought Draco.

"Now if you don't have any other complaints?" Granger tapped her foot impatiently. Draco reflected that he must be getting on her nerves, given how many times she has rolled her eyes at him amongst other indicators. And he hadn't even really been trying to annoy her. It was good to know that he still had his magic touch. He quickly buried the thought that Granger looked best when her cheeks were flushed with exasperation.

"All right. Let's begin then. I think I'll start about how Valentine's is wonderful for couples. While it is certainly possible to over-emphasize the day, you should take it as an opportunity to evaluate your relationship and ponder on how you can grow closer to your significant other…."

Draco tuned out as Granger went on and on about the benefits to Valentine's Day. _If there is anyone listening, I wonder how long they'll last before they decide it's not worth the effort._ It was kind of funny. He had had the opportunity to observe Granger's tutoring methods, and she was rather engaging when she was trying to teach her fellow students. However when she started talking about a subject near and dear to her heart, she was a completely different speaker. Draco rather thought that her current lecture reminded of many he had suffered through in History of Magic. It was dry and dull and completely non-interesting.

"One question," he asked, waving his hand in the air lazily to grab her attention.

"Oh! What is it?" She perked up and looked rather excited at the prospect at getting to answer a question. It was rather unnerving at that.

His bigger problem at the moment, however, was the fact that he didn't actually have a question to ask. He had simply wanted to interrupt her monologue before he was forced to take more drastic measures, such as throwing himself out the window. Frantically he searched his mind for something, anything to ask. _Wait a minute_, he thought. _The pamphlet!_ He looked down at the pamphlet that Pansy had produced. Draco coughed nervously a few times as he frantically read one of the points the other side had brought up. "Not everyone who sends a Valentine is appreciated and some have even been mocked," he said. "So why risk it? Especially for someone who has been burned once before?"

He mentally winced. That hit close to home. Naturally that had been the first thing he had seen. In his past, he had sometimes been cruel to those who he thought were inferior to him when they sent him anything on Valentine's. He had been trying to be better about that. His mother had made it clear to him that he already had plenty of enemies based on who his parents were, and so it would be best if he didn't go about giving more reasons for society to hate him.

However Granger didn't mention how he was guilty of being cruel to some of those who had sent him Valentine presents, nor did she take umbrage at the fact that he had relied upon Pansy's pamphlet to formulate a question. Instead she smiled brightly at him and answered. "Yes I know that can be hard. But if that happens…well you've already won, in a sense, because you were brave enough to take a chance on love like that. And you shouldn't let that stop you from trying again. Just because you had no luck one time doesn't mean that you'll always be rejected like that."

Draco looked critically at the witch, but it appeared that she was in earnest. He shook his head, partly out of disbelief and partly out of admiration. It was no act. Granger was really _that_ good, and evidently she had no problem with being that way. She made it look easy and made him feel like less of a wizard for not being able to do the same.

"So out of curiosity, have you ever sent a Valentine that you believe wasn't truly appreciated?" he asked. There had to be some chink in her armor. If she was speaking from personal experience then surely she would still show some ill effect from it.

"Yes actually," she said. Her face burned scarlet. "Not to go into any details, but I doubt the wizard in question can even remember my name these days."

This was good. Draco leaned forward in his seat. "So who was it?" he asked. It was possible that it was him, he reasoned. He had received his fair share of anonymous Valentines over the years.

Granger's blush only spread. "I would rather not say."

"Come on," he said. "You can tell me. I won't tell anyone else."

"It's not that. All my closest friends already know about it," she replied. "I would rather not deal with you laughing at me for it. It is still rather embarrassing to think of how silly I was back then."

That only encouraged Draco. If she still felt lingering traces of embarrassment, then it _had_ to be good. "Please," he whined.

"No."

"I'll give you my word that I won't laugh."

She regarded him skeptically. "Your word, Malfoy? I'm not sure that's worth much at all."

"You wound me, Granger," he said. "Trust me. It's well-known how much a Malfoy's word is worth."

"Absolutely nothing?" she suggested.

He sighed dramatically. "No. I suppose you don't know because you're Muggle-born but—"

"Oh? On that again? I'll have you know that even though I'm Muggle-born doesn't mean that I don't belong or I don't fit in or—"

"Relax," Draco said. "I was simply referring to the fact that other pure-bloods would know how much a Malfoy's word is worth because of their long association with our family. You don't have that sort of history to draw upon and so naturally you're suspicious."

"Oh." She paused to mull over his explanation. "Okay. I suppose I owe you that much for doubting you."

"Thank you." He inclined his head and waved his hand to indicate that she should continue.

"So about that Valentine I sent…." She looked down at her hands and began twirling her fingers around. "I was very young, you see, and much taken with…well I was easily fooled."

"So who was it?"

She bit her lip and shifted to-and-fro before answering. "It was Lockhart."

"Wait a second? You sent a Valentine to Gilderoy Lockhart?" Draco couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Yes. It was back in my second year and…I thought he was the most handsome, charming wizard on earth. And he seemed so understanding and…."

In the back of his mind, Draco pictured how it must have happened. Granger must have worried herself to pieces when figuring out what to send. The thought of the buck-toothed, bushy-haired witch spending the entire night trying to compose the perfect Valentine to that peacock was hysterical. He couldn't help himself and burst out laughing, so hard that his sides ached. It was hilarious, the funniest thing he had heard in years. It was too bad his friends weren't here to hear it also.

"I can't believe you!" Granger said, stomping her foot. "You promised! You gave me your word you wouldn't laugh!"

"Oh come off it, Granger!" he said in between bursts of laughter. "Everyone knows a Malfoy's word is only good until he changes his mind! That's common knowledge, you silly bint."

By now Granger's entire face was bright red. "I should have known better," she said. Something about her tone blunted his merriment, and he looked up to see her practically steaming. "You're the lowest, most foul creature that I know. I should have never trusted you."

Then she glared at him, and with a shake of her head, looked away as though he was nothing. "You know what, Malfoy. I really don't get it. I don't see what anyone sees in you. It's beyond me why so many witches fancy you. You're not the best at anything, not even in your House and your year. You're not the most handsome wizard. That's Blaise Zabini by far. You're not the smartest wizard either. Theodore Nott is way ahead of you, and I still wonder why he wasn't made Head Boy instead of you. You're not even the tallest or the strongest! That belongs to your goons, Crabbe and Goyle."

Her eyes snapped forward once more, and he couldn't look away from the blazing portrait of anger they painted. "The only thing special about you is how cruel and mean-spirited you are. Certainly there isn't the slightest thing about you worth anything at all."

His laughter and the reason for it now seemed so far away. Draco swallowed heavily as he sought for something to say in his defense. He couldn't find anything.

What she had said wasn't anything that he hadn't thought about himself before.

He stood up, more shakily than he would have liked. Her words hurt but it wasn't anything he hadn't dealt with before. He knew the best way to deal with the pain—ignore it. "Of course. You are absolutely right as usual, Granger. If you will excuse me, I must be going." With that he turned tail and fled.

* * *

Hermione sighed as she surveyed the Great Hall, a large box full of decorations floating behind her. She didn't know where to start. If she was being honest with herself, she would have to admit that her heart wasn't in decorating for Valentine's Day. She didn't think she was the best choice to decorate for the day. For all that she was a proponent of it she had done an absolutely miserable job in defending it. She had been completely blindsided by Pansy and Ginny's smear campaign, only learning about it when it was much too late because she had been so self-absorbed in her own studies. She had also been absolutely horrible to the only other person who seemed to care about the holiday as much as she did. True, she thought Malfoy wanted to preserve it for the wrong reasons. But who was she to judge? None of her counters to any of Pansy's arguments against the holiday had even sounded that good.

The truth of the matter was that Hermione was very fond of the holiday because how silly it was. It was cute, and she liked that. Usually she was a very serious witch and she liked having the excuse to act otherwise once a year. Unfortunately her fondness of the holiday seemed to pale in comparison to others' hatred of it. She wasn't very certain that it was worth trying to decorate at all. Probably anything she put up would be torn down first thing in the morning.

"Good evening, Miss Granger," sounded a voice from behind him. Startled she jumped, then turned around. It was Professor Dumbledore.

"Good evening, sir," she replied.

"It's rather late to be out and about, isn't it?" he asked.

Hermione only nodded her head. It was at that. She supposed he was going to tell her to get back to her dormitory. At least he wasn't likely to take points or reprimand her, unlike other professors she could think of.

"Love heart?" he asked.

"Excuse me?" Hermione looked up to see what he was talking about. Dumbledore was holding out a small heart-shaped treat with words printed on it. "Oh. No thank you," she said.

"Ah, that's right. I had quite forgotten about that." He reached into his robes and pulled out a small bag. "Let me try again. Sugar-free love heart?"

"They have those?" she asked. Feeling that it would be rude to refuse, she reached forward and took a sweet from the bag. 'Cheer up,' it read. Sighing, she popped it into her mouth. She didn't think that was likely.

"Yes. I was shocked to discover that I had accidentally procured a bag of the sugar-free variety." He looked at her critically. "I must say that I found them not at all to my taste. I much prefer the regular sort."

"It's an acquired taste," said Hermione, shrugging her shoulders.

"Most things in life are." Dumbledore looked around at the empty Great Hall. "It does sadden me, however, to think that there will be none of the usual festivities this Valentine's Day. I do look forward to the holiday."

Hermione's shoulders slumped forward. That made her feel even worse. She hadn't thought it possible. But not only had she let her fellow students down, she had also let down one of her favorite professors at the school. "I'm sorry," she said.

"You have nothing to apologize for Miss Granger." The old wizard regarded her with a critical eye. "You haven't let down any of your fellow students. If anything, they have let themselves down. If they truly want to participate in the holiday with their loved ones, then they should let nothing stop them."

She sighed heavily. "I suppose so. But I still feel as though I should have fostered a better environment for Valentine's and all."

"You and Mr. Malfoy have both been doing a splendid job of being leaders for all the students here," Dumbledore said quietly. "It would do you a world of good to remember that the best way to lead is by example." He suddenly stepped forward and shoved the bag of sugar-free treats into her hand. "Here. You can have the entire bag. I find that they really do not suit my taste." Then with one last wink he headed off, leaving Hermione quite literally holding the bag.

She looked down at it and took another heart. 'Good luck,' it read. She smiled to herself. Suddenly she was struck by a brilliant idea on how to apologize and set an example too.

There had been one thing Dumbledore had left out, however. Good leaders may tend to lead by example but the very best ensured that the odds were stacked in their favor.

* * *

**Author's note:** Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I would appreciate if you would leave a review to let me know what you think. The last chapter should be up some time tomorrow. Finally my thanks goes out to sm, Snowe, Simply Lily, iluv2dance, and Torry-Riddle for reviewing the last chapter. It's great to know that people are enjoying this silly bit of fluff. :) 


	5. Happy Valentine's

**Saving Valentine's: Happy Valentine's  
**

**Disclaimer:** None of these characters are mine as they all belong to JKR. Also this story is AU for HBP and DH.

* * *

It was official. This had to be the worst Valentine's Day in the history of Hogwarts. Pansy, that evil witch, had completed her unanticipated coup and had erased all traces of the holiday from the school. 

Draco glowered at his bowl of porridge, not feeling very hungry at all. He had been completely miserable as he had walked down to the Great Hall earlier for breakfast. There weren't any Valentine banners or heart-shaped streamers in sight as he walked down the corridors. There was not the slightest hint of pink or red to be seen in anyone's attire as though there was a ban on wearing anything that could be a reminder of what day it was. He had been similarly disappointed when he entered the Great Hall as it was bare of all decorations as well. All around him, students were talking about exams and essays and Quidditch when usually there would be hushed whispers going around about who could be expecting to receive Valentines from admirers.

The worst part of it all was the fact that he hadn't received anything for Valentine's. Not even a small, inconspicuous note wishing him well from any of his female admirers. That would have been enough. He could have got by on that with the knowledge it would have been so much more if it weren't for the work of Pansy and her evil Weasley side kick. Not that he had really expected to receive anything not after the way Granger had been so kind to point out how worthless he really was last night. He sighed and hung his head. Draco had always known that there was no reason for anyone to like him, outside of his money. Apparently not even that was enough to get a bit of reassurance on what was usually one of his favorite days of the entire year.

Draco knew that he should look upon this as an opportunity to improve himself. Obviously the thing to do if he wanted Valentine's Day to be preserved was to send out a card and gift to someone himself. However he wasn't that brave. He was terrified of rejection. There were so many reasons for any witch out there to say no to him. He wasn't a very nice person at all. Yet it was easy for him to think about trying to be better and not being so cruel in his comments; it was another thing to actually control his tongue. He couldn't do it. He was a lost cause, and he didn't think that was much of a secret.

He sighed and absent-mindedly took a bite from the porridge in his bowl, not really tasting anything, as he tried to think of some good thing to take away from the misery that was this year's Valentine's Day. He supposed he could finally get around to reading his book. He hadn't been able to because he had been so busy with schoolwork and head duties, but it didn't look as though he would have anything else to do today. Draco knew that the he should continue to further refine his Potions essay and maybe get a head start on revising for the exams that were coming up, but he didn't feel up to it. He was feeling very glum and self-indulgent, and maybe reading would help to lift his spirits.

All of a sudden the Great Hall fell silent. Draco looked up from his bowl to see what had distracted everyone else from their conversations. Above all the tables flew a lone owl, a small bag attached to its right leg with a bit of pink ribbon. It circled around a few times while students began buzzing with speculation over who had sent the owl and who was going to receive it. To Draco's surprise the owl landed in front of him. It hopped forward and extended its leg, hooting as though to tell Draco to hurry up and get his present.

He didn't have to be told twice.

With trembling fingers he reached forward and untied the pink ribbon. He put it to one side to save for later. As soon as he had retrieved his present, the owl gave one more hoot and flew off, back to the Owlery. Draco gingerly opened the bag. Inside was a folded-up piece of parchment and a small pile of love hearts. He picked one up from the pile. 'Be mine,' it read and he had to smile. He still had it. Still grinning he popped it into his mouth.

And promptly gagged. Draco coughed several times as he forced the sweet down. He hadn't ever tasted anything so nasty in his life. _I should have known it was a gag gift,_ he thought. His good mood forgotten, he turned to the note, hoping to find some clue on who had sent him such an awful present so he could wreak his vengeance upon that unfortunate soul. Draco was surprised once more when he saw who signed the note.

Hermione Granger.

He blinked. It was incredible. _Hadn't she done enough last night?_ he wondered. Against his better judgment, he began to read the rest of the letter, to see if she had any other insults she wanted to hurl his way on Valentine's Day.

'_Dear Malfoy,'_it read. _'Please accept my apologies for what I said last night. It was said in the heat of anger, and I didn't really mean any of it. You are a handsome, charming wizard and I do hope you'll find it in your heart to agree to be my Valentine. Sincerely, Hermione Granger_'.

Draco read it once more to make sure that he hadn't imagined it. The letter and its contents didn't change. Hermione Granger was apologizing to him—to him of all people!—and what was more, she was asking him to be her Valentine. It was incredible, absolutely unbelievable. He couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that the only person who cared enough to send him anything on Valentine's was a witch who he had teased and tormented throughout their years at Hogwarts.

He looked up and around the room, searching out for where Granger was sitting. When he finally caught sight of her, his eyes locked with hers. She smiled at him and then looked away. Draco followed the path of her gaze to her best friends. He gulped. The two of them were steaming and almost foaming at the mouth. He quickly looked back at Granger who sent a saucy wink his way. The message was clear.

_Get your pale arse over here and agree to be my Valentine, or my friends will blast you into smithereens._

It was sneaky and underhanded, and as his heart rate sped up, Draco wondered if this could be love. _No_, he thought as he rose from his seat_, not love. I'm not that cheesy or corny. But admiration…that's a definite possibility. Especially given how cunning she's proven herself to be. Who knew that the Head Girl had it in her?_

Draco strode over to the Gryffindor table, his shoulders squared back with confidence. Along the way, he caught various snippets of conversation that made him smile.

"Dear Merlin, who is the lucky witch he's headed for?" wondered one witch. "And why couldn't it have been me?"

"Blast it! I knew he was serious about spending time with whoever sent him a Valentine, I would have sent him ten!" wailed another.

There were other reactions as well, of couples spontaneously deciding not to be left behind by the Head Boy and his daring Valentine. Pansy was frantically gesturing towards she-Weasel, saying something about needing to arrange a support group meeting for later. All of these reactions were very gratifying and would have been enough by themselves to convince him to put on a show that they would not soon forget.

But there was more than that. _He_ was the one who had more to apologize than Granger did. He was the one who laughed at her after he promised not to. He was a realist; there was no way that he would ever be good enough for someone like her. Just thinking about how much work it would take to be that good made him wince, and that reaction was enough to remind exactly why he was a lost cause. However the least he could do, especially after his behavior last night—and if he wanted to be blunt, of the last seven years—was do his best to be good enough for her today. She deserved that much from him.

Draco smiled charmingly at the Gryffindor witch. "Granger, my dear, I would be delighted and flattered to be your Valentine this year," he said, making a sweeping bow. Inwardly he elated to hear the sound of witches all around swooning for his performance.

"Great," she said. She leaped up from her seat. "Well, shall we get going? I have a full schedule planned for us today."

"Hermione!" cried Potter. "Don't tell me you're serious about wanting to spend the day with him?"

"Yeah!" piped up Weasley. "Oh no. Don't tell me. He's blackmailed you into all of this."

Granger gave a haughty shake of her head that would have made Draco's mother proud. "Don't be ridiculous. Malfoy hasn't done anything to me. Do you really think that little of me to believe that I would allow myself to be blackmailed into doing anything I don't want to do?"

Potter glowered at him. "Malfoy, I swear if you don't remove this spell at once I am going to—"

"Oh honestly!" Granger grabbed her bag from where it had been lying, and Draco gently took it from her as she continued to glare at her friends. "The two of are impossible! Is it any wonder that I want to get away from you and your paranoia? Malfoy hasn't done anything to me. You can't blame him for everything that happens that you don't like, Harry. If you must know I asked him because I thought that it would make a nice change of pace to spend time with an intelligent wizard as opposed to you two. Imagine that!" Potter and Weasley's mouth were left hanging open as they couldn't formulate a response to that.

Draco's day was just getting better. Not only did he have someone to spend the day way, she had just told off two of his least favorite people. Gallantly he offered Granger his arm, and the two of them exited the Great Hall to the swirl of rumors going around about them.

"So what do you have planned?" he asked once they were outside. "We do have Ancient Runes and then Transfiguration later today, and as much as I would love to skip them, I don't think that would be prudent."

"Oh no," said Granger. "Not so close to N.E.W.T.s. But I convinced Professor McGonagall to cut today's Transfiguration class short so—"

"Really? How did you manage to do that?" he asked.

She blushed prettily. "Well I might have implied that the both of us were beginning to get burned out from everything we have on our plates. She looked worried and she said that she has noticed that the more than a few of her students have looked sort of peaked lately."

"She must be referring to the Ravenclaws, those fools," noted Draco.

"You know about that? Then why haven't you done anything about it? You could have at least told Snape!"

"I did, Granger, and was made to look like a fool. Trust me. He knows when his Potions stores are getting raided. But you were saying that McGonagall is actually planning to end her class early today?"

"Well yes. I know, surprising isn't it? But she is really worried about all of us so she suggested that she could end a bit early today. We've all worked hard enough to earn it, really. Those that don't want to do anything for Valentine's can use the spare time for studying while those of us who do want to celebrate can head on down to Hogsmeade."

"That's brilliant."

"Thank you. I figured that after class we could head on down to the library."

Draco stumbled, almost falling over. "Excuse me? Your idea of a pleasant Valentine's is spending it in the library?"

"No," she said. "That's purely for the sake of misdirection. The Ravenclaws will see us, and they won't be able to get anything done once they do because they'll be too busy trying to figure out what we have planned. I figured that we just need to make an appearance there for a half hour tops, and then we can head on down to Madam Puddifoot's."

"That's even more brilliant," he said admiringly. "That way we won't get too far behind them when it comes to studying for everything."

"That was my thought exactly. I'm so glad you appreciate it." She wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Harry and Ron would just think that I'm barmy."

"Consider the source," he said. "Everyone knows that their marks would be so much worse if you weren't always trying to prod them into working like they should. But look at the bright side. At least you don't have to worry about them overworking themselves like the Ravenclaws."

"Yes, I suppose there is that much at least. But let's put that aside. I don't want to talk about them for the rest of the day."

"You won't hear any argument from me about that," said Draco. Internally he was marveling over the fact that it wasn't that hard to be nice to Granger. She was a sweet, caring thing, and he could appreciate the drive she had in her to be the best. He shared it after all. With any luck, he would be able to keep this up all day.

"Good. So for now, how about breakfast?" She blushed again. "I am certain that special Valentine's breakfast will be waiting for us in the Room of Requirement. If you're interested, that is."

"That sounds good to me." The two of them set off to enjoy the start of what looked to be a most wonderful Valentine's Day.

_Some time much later that same day_

"Well Granger, I do have to say that I enjoyed myself today," said Draco. "You're tops when it comes to planning a spectacular Valentine's Day."

"Thanks," she replied. She lightly punched him in the shoulder. "You were very good company too. You didn't have to buy me that book."

"It only seemed fair," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "There is one thing that I think I should mention though…."

"What is it?"

"If you give me any of those nasty sugar-free treats for Valentine's next year, I won't agree to be yours."

She looked at him askance. "Really?"

"You have my word."

* * *

**Author's note:** Thanks for reading this far. I hope you've enjoyed this silly little fic of mine. :) 

Finally thanks so much to Snowe and blakmoon-bl for their reviews of the last chapter. I'm happy to hear that you both liked the conversation with Dumbledore. He is one of the hardest characters to write. Hopefully this will be a satisfying conclusion to it all. :)


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